Perhaps it's more that consistent, focussed, daily practice has come to characterise Ashtanga Vinyasa. Perhaps whatever I were to practice, if I just went for a swim in the lake each morning, lengthened the stages of the breath while walking along the beach and Sat on the shore it would STILL feel like Ashtanga, to me.
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I was asked about my practice these days, what shape it takes.
I was asked about my practice these days, what shape it takes.
Not as strange perhaps as it may seem....
Standing
My standing involves a lot of Simon's spinal movements, his approach to twists and standing on one leg, more 'movements' perhaps than postures/asana. I only tend to include a couple of a Sun salutations but the framework isn't so far from Ashtanga or Vinyasa Krama.
1st half of Ashtanga Second series up until ustrasana
1st half of Ashtanga Primary series but badhavajrasana rather than the Marichi's
Sarvangasana inc. Krishnamacharya's Mysore 1938 variations
Sirsasana inc. variations
baddha konasana
gomukhasana
baddha padmasana
Siddhasana (pranayama)
Sit
*****
Is this still Ashtanga Vinyasa?
I think the Ashtanga Vinyasa we tend to associate with Sharath and the Jois family tends to be quite a narrow, fixed form of practice but of course Sharath will adapt it when necessary as no doubt does Saraswati, Manju certainly does, his own practice he says tends to be half primary, half Second and a few postures from Advanced, not so unlike the above perhaps.
It's tempting to give way and say Ashtanga Vinyasa is the fixed form we tend to think but I hesitate to do so. Pattabhi Jois always said that he was only presenting his teacher, Krishnamacharya's teaching. But we know that Krishnamacharya's teaching certainly wasn't fixed.
We can see the tables of asana that Jois employed for his fixed series but there was clearly a more flexible approach to practice in krishnamacharya's early Mysore teaching when Jois was his student as their was in Krishnamacharya's later years.
A flexibility in the choice of the asana, in the vinyasa (in this sentence referring to the movement to and from standing), whether to include full vinyasa between postures, half vinyasa or no vinyasa at all.
A flexibility in how long we might stay in an asana or mudra.
A flexibility in the approach to the breath, whether to keep it equal, lengthen either or both the inhalation and/or exhalation, begin a movement on the inhale or the exhale, include or omit kumbhaka ( holding the breath in or out after the inhalation or exhalation).
I feel my own practice reclaims some of that flexibility, probably why I'm hesitant to call it something else, even Vinyasa Krama. Krishnamacharya's teaching was always it seems flexible...,creative, it's so easy to forget that we can practice our Ashtanga that way if it's still approached with sincerity and commitment.
Perhaps it's just that consistent, focussed daily practice that has come to characterise Ashtanga Vinyasa for me the most. Perhaps whatever I were to practice, if I just went for a swim in the lake each morning, lengthened the stages of the breath while walking along the beach and Sat on the shore it would STILL feel like Ashtanga.
Current practice in more detail
Standing
I'm taking a Simon Borg-Olivier approach to standing, I've fallen in love with his spinal movements. Uncompressed, the spine doesn't have that much mobility, these movements seem sufficient to give the spine a good 'work out' in all directions.
I've taken to exploring breathing possibilities, several movements within one inhale, bit radical for an Ashtangi brought up with the count and one movement for each stage of the breath
Something I mentioned on a recent post
Generally Simon Borg-Olivier recommends, when beginning physical yoga as well as perhaps a new sequence or approach, to employ natural breathing 'to the abdomen' a babies or sleeping breath. I've been employing relaxed abdominal breathing for a couple of years now but shifting from the Ashtanga one movement one inhalation or exhalation to letting the breath take care of itself has been challenging. But once you begin to get the hang of it other possibilities arise. In the video, I'm exploring breathing through the movements, so a long slow 30 second inhalation through the first stretches, of one arm and then the other above the head, one inhalation for both sides and then again a long slow, relaxed 30 second exhalation through the twists to the left and right. This is an aspect of practice I'm quite excited about exploring right now.
Note: The video above is natural speed, it hasn't been slowed down. The one below of the spinal sequence is x3
There are some different foot positions where we can do the same movements. I do different positions on different days, slowing the breathing in this way would mean all the foot positions would take too long. I particularly like the on one leg versions though and tend to include those before moving into these one leg versions of 'triangle' postures.
I'm interested in Simon's 'Standing' alternative to trikonasana etc. Explanation below.
On one leg/trikonasana?
Followed by twists, Simon Style
Followed by twists, Simon Style
Prasarita's come into Simon's standing spinal sequence following the elephant stance posture
After a couple of Sun salutations, A and B (I'm exploring a supine version see Appendix).....
I've start to move from standing into the back stretches from the first half of Ashtanga second series, pretty standard stuff, (but starting with bhujangasana bringing the legs to the bottom, Vinyasa Krama style), salambhasana, makrasana, urdhava danhurasana.
From Ashtanga Intermediate series
I've start to move from standing into the back stretches from the first half of Ashtanga second series, pretty standard stuff, (but starting with bhujangasana bringing the legs to the bottom, Vinyasa Krama style), salambhasana, makrasana, urdhava danhurasana.
I spend a little time in vajrasana exploring the spinal movements as well as a short Virasana sequence including kumbhaka while supine, this from my Vinyasa Yoga practice book
Finishing the backstretch group with ustrasana.
I might add in Lagu Vajrasana, of late kapotasana seems...... excessive.
I might add in Lagu Vajrasana, of late kapotasana seems...... excessive.
from Primary Series
Then it's back to Standard(ish) Primary, paschimottanasana, purvotasana. I drop ardha badha paschimottanasana. My tiryam mukha flows into krouchasana followed bhujangasana which I prefer over the maraichi's
Maha mudra followed by Simon's twisted side bend version of janu sirsasna, they used to call it janu Sirsasana D back n the day i hear.
Navasana.
Navasana.
Inversions
A couple of desk postures (dwi pitam) then urdhva danurasana.
I counterpose by bringing the knees to the chest, then taking the legs over into halasana.
From halasana up into a Sarvangasana sequence
Perhaps the Ashtanga sarvangasana variations back to floor via the mayarasana's then rolling over (chkarasana) into Sirsasana and a five minute stay, slow breathing ( 30 second inhalation/30 second exhalation) then some variations...
I'm having fun going up and down into postures, from sirsasana to gomukhasana back up to sirsasna then down to baddha konasana followed by active movements into baddha padmasana.
Generally I'd only do one or two of the above movements and stay for longer, ten, twenty five breaths. Below is the same video at regular speed.
I'm also exploring Simon's nerve tensioning arm movements in the posture as well as the spinal movement, working to relax the spine as I move in and out of the posture.
Flow without Fluidity
Even though there is movement to and from the postures in Ashtanga and Vinyasa krama, such practice still feels somewhat....static, flow perhaps but without... fluidity, it's perhaps this fluidity that I'm enamoured with in Simon and Bianca's approach and suspect may be of benefit.
In going the other way, back up to headstand from padmasana (lotus) I'm using some of Simon Borg-Olivier's tips for effortless handstand here. Aiming to push the hips forward, lifting the upper back and moving the sitting bones forward to firm the abdomen and make up for the lack of navasana, the key though seems to be breathing into the abdomen as I bring my lots up my arms and then all the way up to Sirsasana.
See Simon's how to lift up to handstand , part fifteen in his superb spinal sequence series of videos on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3h-vASq0H-U Update:
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I might do all of the above or merely a few of Simon's spinal movements, a Sury, trikonasana, a couple of seatead asana, a forward fold, backbend and twist, a mudra, a shoulderstand vinyasa, a longish stay in sirsasana and lower in and out of padmasana. followed by a little pranayama and a sit.
A flexible practice!
Appendix
I'm also exploring these twists as well as Surya namaskara while supine see appendix
As well as suryanamaskar